lovejoy

Things were looking neat for Lovejoy

Louise passed the leaf back; Lovejoy looked at it and popped it into his pocket.

It had stopped raining; the smell of the wet grass filled the air with a fresh, clean fragrence.

“Sit here often Ernest? Writing poetry?”

Lovejoy paused to answer, saying yes should have been easy but somehow the idea that he sat alone in the park on rainy days would seem less exciting to vibrant Louise.

“Err yes. I find it quiet, not many people about”

“Yeh I can see that, I hoped you didn’t mind me coming over.”

“No not at all” he looked up just in time to see a shaft of sunlight bounce off the wet ground.

“Would you like to go somewhere for a coffee?”

“Oh gee that would be neat could do with something to take the chills away”

They both stood up at the same time. Lovejoy noticed that he was much taller than Louise. Her with a delicate frame, him with his gangly legs and hardly any definition of muscle.

“Hey you’re quite a tall fella aren’t you Ernest?”

Lovejoy was starting to like the way she says his name, he felt a warm feeling growing inside.

They walked across the grass towards the gate. There was a small café not far from the park. He would take her there. It was quiet, just right for a chat and coffee. He felt the urge to reach out for her hand but he kept his in his pocket. Too soon, he thought!

“So do you live near here, Ernest?”

“Yeh, I have a place just down the road not to far.”

“I’d like to live here. Edinburgh’s a beautiful city.”

“Yeh, very atmospheric, good for writing.”

“You looked very peaceful and relaxed when I came over.”

Peaceful, relaxed, no one had ever said that about him before. Most people said he was boring and sad.

“Do you always speak to strangers? It isn’t always wise, I could’ve been anyone.”

“Yeh, I know, but as my dad always says, “you can’t go around treating everyone like a some sort of madman. How will you ever get to meet new people if you don’t show a little trust?”

Lovejoy nodded, he was glad she’d chosen him today.

“And anyhow 5 minutes conversation with a new face beats 20 pages in a diary.”

They reached the café. Lovejoy pushed on the door and held it open for Louise to walk though. The café was small but clean with 6 tables, 3 either side of the gap from the door to the counter. An older woman stared as they entered then picked up her note book, came over and asked them what they wanted.

“2 coffees please” Lovejoy said

“Would you like any food?”

“Err not for me thanks” he turned to Louise. Louise was shaking her head.

That warm feeling was back, this felt comfortable he thought.

“So Ernest, who’s your favourite poet?”

“Keats” he said

“Hey wow, I love Keats. His ‘Ode to Autumn’ reminds me so much of here.”

Oh this was getting quite spooky, a coincidence maybe or fate. He felt like putting pen to paper but it would’ve seemed rude, maybe he’d remember it and write it later.

The coffees arrived, he watched as Louise slipped 2 sugars and milk into her cup, Lovejoy did the same.

“So how long you been writing” he said

“Oh years” she replied “I write anything and everything but not good enough to be published. You?”

“The same” there was that word again, it kept coming up time and time again ‘same’ likes the ‘same’ poet, drinks her coffee the ‘same’, unpublished the ‘same’ as him. That warm feeling started to grow as they sat there chatting about poetry, the weather, the creep and Edinburgh.

“What times your train tomorrow?”

“9.45 Edinburgh to Glasgow Express” she said

“Where are you staying?”

“Haven’t got anywhere, maybe I’ll just bum on the station platform.”

Lovejoy looked wide eyed at this, he couldn’t have her sleeping there it would be very dangerous.

“Look I know this seems a bit forward but you’re welcome to stay at my place you can have the bed, I’ll kip on the settee.”

“Well Ernest that’s really nice of you but I’ll be ok”

“No I insist. The train station is not the place for a woman to bed down you get allsorts down there especially at night.”

“Well ok then, that is if you really don’t mind.”

Lovejoy felt his heart beating really fast now, he’d be alone with her, she’d be there in the morning when he woke up, these were the things he’d dreamt of.

They left the café. In the distance the nearby clock was chiming six, they’d been chatting for hours.

“is it far to your place?”

“No just down here, got to get some ciggies first though.”

“Yeh I need some too.”

The local shop keeper looked at Lovejoy when they walked in. it was the ‘ooohh what’s going on here then!’ look.

Lovejoy brought a couple of packets and handed one to Louise. They left the shop leaving the shop keeper staring curiously.

A few minutes later he was turning the key in the door; he pushed it open, turned on the light and beckoned Louise to enter first. He followed closing the door behind him.

“Hey this is a really nice room Ernest.”

With books lying all over, he was surprised she could see the room.

“Sorry about the mess” he said

“Hey, no worries.”

He went over to the small kitchen area in the corner, found two cups and proceeded to make coffee.

Louise found a clear space on the floor and sat down. To her left was a book on ‘Keats’, as she picked it up it fell open at a page that had been read a hundred times or more, thumb prints marked the page and the corner was folded down. She started to read, ‘Ode to Autumn’ so he likes that one too! She thought, just then Lovejoy appeared with the coffees, he crouched down beside her, he’d never sat on the floor before, this was nice, no! This was ‘neat’.

They sipped their coffees and Louise started to read the poem. When she had finished she turned her head towards Lovejoy and found him looking right back at her, he blushed, the warm feeling going to his head.

“I’ll walk you to the station in the morning. It’s not far from here.”

“Thanks Ernest, you’re a really nice guy.”

Nice guy! No one had ever called him that before.

“So tell me about yourself? Where do you work?”

“In a library.” He said.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry I went on about how boring I found it.”

“No its ok, I find it boring too!”

“So why do you work there then?”

“Cause I love reading, gives me loads of inspiration, all those free books.”

“Never thought of it that way before.”

They both laughed and the air was filled with the warm feeling that had filled him ever since she came into his life. He carried on talking about his life sometimes sounding as boring as some had said he was, but not Louise, glued to every word she listened intently. They both laughed at odd moments but it all felt comfortable. Lovejoy laughed at how his voice sounded, he lit a cigarette and handed one to Louise but she had fallen asleep, he wanted to sweep the hair off her face, but she might wake then what would she think. So he just sat and stared gazing over her from her hair down over her face, the eyelids closed over those beautiful vivid green eyes, the small lips that covered the perfect little white teeth, down to her neck just showing enough that he wanted to kiss it, over the delicate curves of her body from her breasts to her hips, down her legs to the petite feet sitting in large walking boots. He made another coffee and went back to his spare on the floor. How he wanted to feel her skin on his, those green eyes looking lovingly at him as they shared the warm feeling….

When the alarm woke him, he was lying on the floor, under the blanket usually found on the settee, he sat up and looked round, Louise was asleep in the bed she must have woken and moved covering him on the way. He went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face, the morning was clear and bright, he had a shave and felt the day getting better. Lovejoy made coffee and gently woke Louise she smiled at the sight of him, a knowing, welcoming smile.

“What time is it?”

“9.00”

“I’ll have to get up, got a train to catch.”

“It’ll only take 5 minutes to walk there, drink your coffee, there’s hot water if you want a shower.”

“Gee thanks Ernest, you’re quite a gentleman”

A gentleman! That’s something else, that’s never been said to him.

Lovejoy sat by the window while Louise was in the shower, he wanted to go in, take her in his arms and never let her go….but no she would go, and he would be left alone again!

Louise came out looking as lovely as ever. They got their things together and left the flat, got to the station just in time to see her train pull in. The warm feeling had turned into despair that she was leaving. But he said nothing.

“Well goodbye Ernest, I’m so glad to meet you, give me your number and I’ll call you when I get to Glasgow.”

Lovejoy put his hand out for her to shake but instead she moved forward and kissed him gently on the lips. Lovejoy felt the warmth of her body pressed against his, grab her, hold her, never let her go, the thoughts buzzing around his head. He waved when she got to her seat, then turned he didn’t want to see her leave.

Lovejoy took a slow walk back across the park, stopping for a moment at the Pavilion. Why didn’t he ask her to stay, he could’ve lived forever looking into those bright vibrant green eyes. Oh well maybe he could write about it.

The key turned in the lock, his room still had the fragrance of Louise, he made coffee, lit a cigarette and turned on the radio, it was on the news but he wasn’t listening till something caught his hearing, TRAIN CRASH, NO SURVIVORS, 9.45 EDINBURGH TO GLASGOW EXPRESS.

“What? Train crash, 9.45, express, Edinburgh to Glasgow, no survivors NOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Lovejoy ran, turned on the TV, pictures of the derailed train filled the screen as Lovejoy’s eyes filled with tears, he should have said something, stopped her getting on that train, there’d be no phone call now, outside it had started raining again.

He wiped his eyes and took out his notebook, the scarlet heart shaped leaf dropped to the floor, He picked it up and thought ‘neat’. Starting to write ‘Ode to Louise’ the tears started to flow again.

The knock startled him; he wiped his face and went to the door. Opening it he was just about to tell the ‘who’ on the other side to sod off when he heard a familiar voice.

“Hi Ernest, I decided not to go.”

The warm feeling was so strong he couldn’t help but to pull her forward, kissing her gently on the lips, holding her never letting her go.

©Mills Laine